Golden Beams of the Sunrise
by SiaCatGirl
Summary: It's been seven months since Lucy fell into a coma. Everything seems helpless. Or... is it? Rated T for safety.
1. Inner Thoughts

**Once again, I'm glad to post more Layton Brothers stuff on Fanfiction again! So, there were a few people who wanted me to write about Lucy's eventual awakening. We all want a happy ending every once in a while, right? And so... I decided to fulfill their wish and bring out the next fanfic in my so-called trilogy! And I suck at titles, as usual. Most of them make no sense at all.**

**This story is in two chapters. Part 2 will come out as soon as I write it after getting over my overwhelming feels regarding PLvsAA and can think straight again.**

**I don't own Layton Brothers: Mystery Room.**

**Please read and leave a comment. Reviews are my sunshine.**

**Sia later! ~SiaCatGirl**

* * *

The beginning of spring in London this year turned out to be much milder and warmer than meteorologists had predicted. By the middle of March most of the snow was gone, although the chill of the winter air had remained. Small puffy clouds lazily hung in the evening sky decorated with dim twilight. The cool wind still strove to swish in through a half closed door or a window and cool down the air inside just enough to give you an irresistible desire to start actively rubbing your arms and hands to warm up.

Just enough to make a certain Scotland Yard inspector stand up and close the window leaf inside a small ward numbered B62.

With a barely audible sigh, Alfendi Layton sat back onto a chair near a hospital bed and closed his eyes for a brief moment before opening them again to gaze at a young woman who was lying motionlessly in the aforementioned bed.

It's been... How long has it been? Almost seven months now, probably. Al has already lost count of time, so he couldn't say for sure, but it's been almost seven months since his assistant Lucy Baker was admitted to the hospital with a gunshot wound just below her heart. It was a miracle the bullet didn't hit any vital blood vessels, which would've resulted in instant death. Nonetheless, seeing her in such state didn't differ much from a feeling of an irretrievable loss for the inspector, a terrifying feeling he desperately tried to shake off. He listened into the beeping sound of a machine tracking the girl's heartbeat as if his own life depended on it. As long as he could hear it, the hope inside him wouldn't die.

But, walking hand in hand with hope, being its other side of the coin, there will always be despair. The dreadful silence of rhythmical beeps merging into one endless sound of inconsolable grief.

Those last few months were very hard for Alfendi, knowing not only that the sole person he sincerely cared for, even if he didn't openly show it, was now somewhere in between life and death, but also that he may even be partly responsible for her current state. Fortunately, he wasn't left to suffer on his own since Florence, Dustin and 'Sniffer' Hague did their best to help him cope with it. Hilda added her bit of advise into the common stock, too. Even Al's father and sister gave him their moral support. It made dealing with the whirlwind of emotions inside him seem less unbearable.

Alas... Such deep pain isn't easy to get rid of. Like a hungry predator gripping its prey, so does the pain, piercing the heart deeper and stronger than any dagger would.

Sitting there on a chair right beside the poor Detective Constable, Alfendi couldn't help but feel it pulsing through his head, returning back in the flood of agonizing memories. He tried to push them aside, to concentrate on something else, but his mind would obligingly replay everything that happened that day. The nauseous smell of his blood, Lucy's desperate cry, falling onto the ground... and the gunshot he hears in his nightmares to this day.

The inspector let a hand through his dishevelled crimson hair. Watching his assistant's still and pale face brought him a feeling of helplessness. His helplessness.

There's no worse feeling on Earth when someone dear to you is suffering and there's nothing you can do to help them.

That's exactly what Al was experiencing.

Right now he could only take Lucy's hand and let a quiet whisper escape from his lips.

"What have I done?"

Once again, the room fell into silence. The heartbeat machine's beeping was the sole reminder of the existing reality.

...

_'It's no use blaming yourself like that.'_

**_'...What?'_**

The one thought raced through Potty Prof's mind as his other side decided to let know of himself once again.

_'I said it's no use blaming yourself like that. It's not your fault, and you know it.'_

**_'Easy for you to say, Placid. You weren't in control when it happened!'_**

_'No, but nonetheless, reproaching yourself with her demise isn't going to help. It isn't going to help Lucy wake up sooner.'_

**_'Thank you for summing that up'_** was the sarcastic reply.

_'I'm trying to be reasonable, that's all.'_

_**'Really?'** _Potty Prof couldn't help but sneer at this._ **'You think it's reasonable to just sit down and wait?'**_

'Do you have any other options?'

The unexpected question left him speechless. After all... Al did not have another option... Did he?

No. He didn't. And he could only sigh in defeat.

_'Uh-huh. I didn't think so. Listen, I understand what you're feeling, and not just because we share the same body. It's hard for me, for you, for both of us, but we won't be able to help Lucy unless we remain patient. After she regains conciousness, she'll need our support more than anything else.'_

That was Placid Prof for you, always being the voice of reason and common sense inside Alfendi Layton's mind. And if Potty Prof did have any good traits - which he, of course, does, don't think of it wrong, - patience was surely not one of them.

_**'Thank you for stating the obvious. I know it, there's no need to remind me. But I'm not going to sit quietly in a corner doing nothing just because-'**  
_  
Unfortunately, he didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as the lights in the room suddenly went out, and the ward was plunged into shadows and silence.

It took Al a while to adjust his eyes to the sudden lack of light. Due to little to no sunlight outside since it was already evening and the sun had set down the skyline, the hospital room was pretty dark and even the big window wasn't able to bring inside enough light from the lampposts down the street.

Looking up at the ceiling, the young man saw all of the lights were completely off. None of them was even flickering.

"Great. Just great."

A blackout. The last thing he needed in the world right now.

Recently Prof developed a rather strong dislike of darkness. Nearly every time it would remind him of his assistant's courageous act moments before his mind was clouded with that very same darkness. His dear Detective Constable who, for his sake, willingly almost gave her own life, which was now barely coursing through her body with every heartbeat.

Every heartbeat...

...Oh no.

Only at that moment did it occur to Alfendi: the heartbeat machine wasn't working too! No wonder it was so quiet in the hospital room. It must've shut off along with the lights when the blackout happened.

Without a second thought, he rushed to bring his hand to the girl's neck to check her pulse.

It was there. Weak, but it was. Al sighed in relief.

Even in the dim of the room he could still make out the outlines of Lucy's pale face and short caramel coloured hair gently framing her face. He couldn't help but delicately caress her cheeks with a small caring smile on his face. Prof's hair cooled down a few shades, finally becoming soft maroon. The warm feeling of love and many fond memories of her filled his heart, soothing the pain inside him. He thought back to the time when Lucy was still eagerly helping him solve hard and complicated crimes. He was already used to her everyday presence in the Mystery Room, her often 15-minutes-late arrivals and apologies following every single one of them, cups of Earl Grey tea she made for him at lunch breaks, her contagious dedication to work and how well she could handle both of his personalities, like no one else would. He took her presence for granted and never doubted it would ever change.

Until, one day, she was taken hostage by a merciless criminal, with her life being the winner's prize in a "game" prepared specially for the best investigating team in Scotland Yard.

Until that game finally ended with the final strike from the said criminal, aimed to claim his last victim before spending the rest of his life behind bars.

Until Lucy almost became that final victim.

Alfendi felt regret slowly creep up his heart. Regret for being so careless, for letting that happen. For letting her be kidnapped in the first place. If only he agreed to accompany her that day... Maybe none of that mess would've ever happened.

He could only hope to apologize to her for everything.

And as he closed his eyes once more and slightly squeezed Lucy's hand which he never let go of, he muttered a quiet "I'm sorry" under his breath and let the silence of the room fill his head once more.

But not after he felt his own hand being weakly squeezed in response.

* * *

**Yes, it's a cliffhanger! A freaking cliffhanger!**

**...Not really. You all understand what it means, right?**

**And I have a little headcanon that Al's personalities can talk to each other in his mind. When it happens, he kinda like shuts off and stares into one point, usually the floor.**


	2. The Awakening

**As promised to you guys, part 2 is finally out! **

**...And I have some grave news to tell you. The author of this chapter, SiaCatGirl, is now dead. She was killed by her feels. First, they deprived her of her imagination, then they altered most of the text to make characters sound OOC and, lastly, mercilessly stabbed her in the heart. **

**May the poor author rest in peace.**

* * *

Once Alfendi realized the faintly tightened grip around his hand was not his imagination playing tricks on him, his eyes instantly opened wide and he felt a sudden jolt spread all across his chest as the realization dawned on him.

He looked at Lucy's face. It was still dark in the room, the lights were still out after a blackout, but Prof was sure he could see her face move ever so slightly, could hear her quiet moans as she struggled to open her eyes.

"L-Lucy?.." Al whispered in hope of finally seeing her awake. That hope was welling up inside him at a sound-breaking speed. It was shining right through his golden eyes. Could it... be? All those months of anticipating and anxiety... Are they... Are they finally over?

And just at that moment, the lights on the ceiling, one by one, started flickering and eventually turned back on, as if nothing had happened. Caught off guard, Alfendi squinted his eyes and covered them with a hand as the sudden light hit him. It took him a few moments to adjust a little to the now well-lit room. The heartbeat machine, forgotten by everybody, slowly turned on, and the rhythmic beeping once again replaced the silence hanging in the air.

His eyes hurt a little from the light. Blinking a few times eased it a bit, however. Still covering his eyes with a hand, Al looked up at the ceiling to see the lights working again. After a while, he could look at them as normally as before.

"...P-Prof?"

The voice was quiet and very weak, but to him it sounded like the sweetest music on Earth. Inspector immediately turned his head around and saw the pale but nonetheless lovely face of his assistant, her half-closed ruby eyes blinking groggily and trying to focus on the person in front of her.

"Is... Is that you, Prof?" she asked in a voice as faint as before.

The hope inside Alfendi's heart in a blink of an eye turned into a tidal wave of overwhelming joy. Joy at seeing her awake, hearing her beautiful voice with the Yorkshire accent he longed for during all those months. A smile couldn't help but spread across his face.

"Lucy! C-Can you hear me? I'm here!" Al spoke to her immediately, leaning closer, with his own voice shaking a bit. "I'm right here! I-It's me, Alfendi!"

Still blinking wearily, the girl lifted her eyes and finally managed to make out the young man's wavy maroon hair, then his big nose and the rest of his facial features. Seeing the familiar face in front of her, Detective Constable's scarlet eyes delicately fluttered open and her own face beamed with a smile.

"Prof!"

"Lucy!" Without a second thought, Al pulled her into a tight hug, the happiness inside him fluttering like a flock of colourful butterflies. Lucy's arms wrapped around his back, hugging him in return. Never in their lives did either of them feel happier than at that moment. Alfendi buried his nose into her slightly messy caramel hair, feeling its softness on his skin. Lucy rubbed her cheek on his red and blue sweater, feeling his heart beating against the side of her head.

"I was afraid you'd never wake up..." he whispered, clutching her closer to his chest. It took Prof all his will to fight the strong desire to scoop the girl into his hands and twirl her across the room in delight. The joy was too overwhelming to hold back easily.

After finally pulling back, he lowered his head so that their eyes were on the same level. As he did so, his hair changed its colour to crimson again. No matter how tough Potty Prof wanted to seem to everyone, he was no less glad than Placid Prof to see Lucy's smiling face.

"You have no... No idea how... How happy I am to finally see you awake..." his voice was still shaking from joy bubbling inside him. Just looking into his assistant's shining blood red eyes made his heart melt. Be it at any other time, he would've shaken it off as becoming too much like his other side, but this time, he didn't care in a bit. Lucy herself was touched by his caring gaze. If even Potty Prof was that worried for her, she must be really important to her mentor.

"But... Why?"

The sudden question caught DC Baker off guard. She shook her head slightly and gave him a puzzled look. What did he mean by that?

"Why did you do it? Why did you... save me?"

Even though Alfendi had a very good idea why she did what she did, it still puzzled him. Why would she just give away her life like that, without a second thought?

Lucy looked down and thought back to that day when she heroically saved the life of Inspector Layton, almost at a price of her own. She didn't give it much thought, actually. When she caught the sight of a hand pointing a gun in their direction, she was acting on instincts. There was only one objective in Lucy Baker's mind - to save her mentor, her friend, who gave his all to end the criminal's "game" once and for all. She had to do something. And fast.

There was only one available option.

_..._

_"Because..._

_Because that were the right thing t' do..._

I mean, isn't it right..."

Lucy looked into Alfendi's eyes.

"...to keep your loved ones safe from harm?"

They stared at each other for a while. The meaning behind the girl's words was slowly making the Inspector's heart sink like a stone in the water. Even in the time of imminent danger she put the safety of others above hers. Lucy Baker was a truly beautiful woman.

"And besides..."

Her voice rung out like a small bell.

"...Some people are worth givin' life for."

She said that with a small warm smile on her lips. Those seven words struck Al right into the heart. It wasn't just his assistant Lucy Baker he was looking at. It was a strong and brave woman, who would go to the highest sacrifice for those who, in her eyes, deserve it.

But he didn't believe he deserved it. She didn't have to pay her life for his mistakes! And Potty Prof, being the one in control during the incident, felt greatly responsible for it. He... He couldn't look at her anymore, couldn't look into her forgiving eyes. He didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve her forgiveness.

His heart kept wringing inside him as he turned away to prevent her from seeing his shattered soul. He was a selfish man, thinking only about himself and his personal achievements. Only after Lucy had fallen into a coma for long seven months that he realized his mistakes. But it was too late. There was nothing he could do. Only cross his fingers and hope for the best.

"Are you okay, Prof?" Lucy asked him, concerned.

"I'm... I'm fine. It's nothing."

Of course it was a lie.

And the Detective Constable didn't fall for it. Gently cupping Alfendi's face with a hand, she turned it so she could look in his eyes again. Her gaze softened as soon as she saw small tears forming in the corners of his eyes. Al tried to look away again so she wouldn't see it, but, despite being rather weak after seven months of coma, Lucy had just enough strength to not let it happen.

"I never thought I'd actually see it..." she said as she wiped the tears away from Potty Prof's eyes, "...Inspector Alfendi Layton cryin'."

His attempts to avoid her gaze failed miserably.

"It's all right, Prof. It's not your fault, nor anyone else's. You don't need to concern yourself with this."

Her ruby eyes, it seemed, held some kind of magic power within them, for Al felt trapped inside them, like an insect in an amber. All of his inner turmoils seemed to float away. He couldn't help but bring her face closer and sweetly kiss Lucy on the forehead, with his hair cooling down to a soft maroon. He whispered her a quiet "Thank you".

"And ta you too, Prof," the girl replied back, smiling. "For not giving up hope on me."

The feeling of clouds floating in his stomach returned to Alfendi. He wanted to show his happiness to his assistant, his gratitude, his love to her. However, he found saying it to her a rather difficult challenge. Looking her in the face, no matter how he tried, it felt like something stuck in his throat, preventing him from speaking.

"Lucy, I..." Placid Prof tried to tell her those three simple words he wanted to tell her for a long time, but found himself unable to. "I... I lo-"

Just as he mustered up enough strength to confess his love towards her, she silenced him with a tender kiss on the lips. Al's eyes widened in shock at first, but soon they closed as he melted into the kiss, cupping Lucy's face with his hand. He felt her hand tangle in his wavy hair.

Lucy, in fact, was well aware of Alfendi's love for her. She knew it for quite a while. Two months after she fell into a coma, she managed to regain consciousness. However, she was too weak to show any signs of it. She couldn't see what was going on around her. Hey eye lids felt heavier than a ton of bricks. She couldn't open them.

But she could hear.

Even though Lucy couldn't make out words from the voices she heard, she listened into every sound, for it was her only connection to the world. She could hear voices of Florence, Dustin and Hague whenever they visited, voices of nurses and doctors, voice of her mentor, Alfendi Layton.

And feel the tender pressure of his lips on hers.

Parting their lips, the young girl hugged the Inspector, resting her face on his shoulder. He hugged her back, bringing her closer to him. Both of them could hear their hearts beating loudly inside their chests.

"I love you too, Prof."

It was like millions of knots inside them untangled by themselves.

"And I won't ever leave you again. I promise."

Feeling closer to Lucy than ever before, Alfendi silently promised the exact same thing to her.

Another small tear quietly formed in his eyes. It was not a tear of sorrow or concern. It was a tear of happiness and joy.

And this time he made no effort to hide it.


End file.
